The LeadingAge HackFest is set for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at UMass Boston. Taking a cue from this year’s LeadingAge annual meeting, the event will challenge teams to “Engage with Age” by working with an older adult to create technology-driven tools aimed at improving the aging experience.
“The number of older adults and individuals with disabilities who may benefit from long-term services and supports to live independently is growing rapidly,” said one of the event’s judges, Alice Bonner, Ph.D., R.N., who is secretary of elder affairs for Massachusetts. “Innovative technology has become an essential component of aging services for consumers, providers, government agencies and caregivers. I am looking forward to learning about new ideas and solutions from the LeadingAge Hackfest participants.”
Other members of the HackFest panel of judges:
- Joseph Coughlin, Ph.D., director of the MIT AgeLab.
- Len Fishman, J.D., director of the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston.
- Stephen Johnson, managing director at Ziegler.
- Jack York, president of It’s Never 2 Late.
“We’re excited to hold this year’s HackFest in Massachusetts, a state that is passionate about creating and maintaining a viable hub for fostering innovative technologies, care models, and financing solutions,” said Majd Alwan, Ph.D., executive director of the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies and a coordinator of HackFest.
